


Of Dreams and Nightmares

by ProfessorDumbleBrows



Series: RinHaru Week 2014 [4]
Category: Free!
Genre: Dream Spirit, M/M, Might be a little hard to read, dream eater
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-24
Updated: 2014-11-24
Packaged: 2018-02-26 19:59:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2664488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProfessorDumbleBrows/pseuds/ProfessorDumbleBrows
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Haruka Nanase... A thief of nightmares and a deliverer of dreams. A thief of dreams and a deliverer of nightmares. And Rin couldn't help but fall in love with this spirit.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Of Dreams and Nightmares

**Author's Note:**

> I had such a hard time writing this simply because I was not focused at all and I was very tired. So I apologize if this sucks horrible and if it's hard to read.
> 
> Day 4: Myths and the supernatural (angels, merpeople, ghosts, hybrids, etc)
> 
> In this case, a twist on the idea of the myth of Baku.

Yawning, Rin walked into his apartment. He was greeted with silence and darkness as he slipped off his shoes and advanced inside. He was tempted to warm himself some of the leftover food from the previous night, but his bed was calling out to him much louder than food did. Therefore, he shrugged off his jacket, threw it on the couch, and walked into his room.

He threw himself onto the bed, not bothering to change out of his work uniform. It’s been too long since he was able to say he had a good night’s rest. Nightmare after nightmare fills Rin’s mind every night and he was lucky if he got three hours of sleep at most. But having the entire weekend free for once made him believe he was going to be able to rest well for a change.

Pulling the covers over himself, the redhead settled himself under the fabric. He closed his eyes, counted sheep, and soon fell under sleep’s spell with ease.

It wasn’t long, however, until he woke up in the middle of the night, gasping. He pushed himself to sit up and wiped his damp cheeks, groaning softly because of the after shock he was experiencing. Yet another dark dream about failing, being left behind, and being forgotten. His mind always had a habit of playing on his worst fears; and there were nights where he wished the less emotional fears were left alone...

A sigh escaped his lips and he laid back down, tossing and turning for a moment. Frustrated, Rin slipped a hand under his pillow and thought through his options. Many were easy, but he didn’t want to make the effort. What he wanted was to have an instant good night’s sleep as he originally planned. But only one thing would allow him to do so. And that thing would be to call upon the dream eaters.

It was risky. He knew that very well after hearing about his sister’s experience. But all he had to do was to keep his eyes closed upon the visit of the demon, right? Right… He hesitated, not sure on how to go upon calling a dream eater. Does he just… call out for one? Pray for one? Perform an entire ceremony for one?

Deciding to go with a prayer, Rin closed his eyes and began praying a request for one to visit. ‘Please, oh dream eaters, come take away my nightmares tonight.’ he thought, trying his best not to sound sarcastic in his mind.

He was met with silence. One… two… three minutes passed and Rin was certain that nothing was going to happen. Maybe his sister fibbed about the whole ordeal, he believed. Inhaling and exhaling, he waited another second before giving up in hopes that maybe a hot cup of tea would help.

Rin opened his eyes, expecting his next move to be climbing out his bed. Instead, his blood ran cold and he screamed at what he saw standing at the side of his bed.

A male dressed in a heavy, black traditional yukata stood by his bed. Its hair was long and pulled back into a low ponytail to leave his fringe hanging in his face. Its skin was pale and flawless, and its eyes were icy blue and lacking emotion. A frown placed upon his lips and he reached out to Rin.

Rin was too in shock to move. He only watched as the hand reached out to him and rested itself on his head. The human-like creature mumbled inaudible words and suddenly Rin was asleep. His night was nothing but a string of nightmares, clinging onto him in his sleep until morning came. While sleeping, he thrashed around and began to sweat, his body trying to wake up his mind. But it was a futile attempt.

Once the morning sun broke through the clouds, Rin finally woke up. He felt physically and mentally ill. The images he saw made his previous nightmares looked like childhood monsters. He should have known better than to open his eyes too soon when his risk was to gain the darkest of nightmares rather than the purest of dreams.

Nonetheless, he got up and continued with his day.

When night came around again, Rin repeated the actions of the previous night. He sent a request in the form of a prayer and was determined to keep his eyes closed. But one he felt a shiver down his spine, he couldn’t help but think of the creature yet again. It was… beautiful. Dark, dangerous, and far from inviting. Yet he felt the level of attraction begin to rise and, therefore, opened his eyes to see that gorgeous face once more.

The nightmares were worth it this time.

For the rest of the week, Rin repeated the cycle. A request, a visit, and a night of nightmares.

It was tiring, to say the least. But the spirit had become addictive to look at. He had the urge to know more about it, the urge to call out for him to stop his actions and ask a question. They were silly urges, though, and so he never went through with fulfilling them.

When the next week begun, something changed. The first night of the new week began as it always did with a request and a visit. What changed was that instead of the spirit reaching out for his head, it reached out for his eyes instead. The hand covered Rin’s red orbs and it leaned in closer to whisper in his ear.

“...What do you want?” It asked. It’s voice was deep and dull, but by no means boring.

Rin hesitated, not expecting this to be the reaction of the night. “I…” He began. “I want to know more about you.

He opened his eyes a moment later. Groaning, he turned his head and found himself to be laying on the ground. Rin pushed himself and shifted around to stand up, dusting himself and looking around again after doing so. He was unsure as to where he now was. It didn’t look like his home, it didn’t look like his neighborhood… The dark void he was in didn’t look like anything.

He began walking; the click of his shoes -- when did he have shoes on? -- echoing in the space around him. The more he walked, the more the void started materializing into something familiar. Within a few steps, he was walking into a forest with a path ahead of him. It was instinct for him to begin following the path. What else did he have to lose in this unknown space?

“You said you wanted to know more about me.” A voice said.

Rin continued walking but he recognized the voice. “I did…” He responded.

Soon, he approached the end of the path and he saw the spirit standing in front of him. He tensed up, expecting something bad to happen. Distortion, an attack, anything to ruin the seemingly normal scene. But it didn’t happen.

“What is your name?” The spirit asked.

“...Rin. Matsuoka Rin.”

Its blue eyes flickered with interest despite its face remaining calm. “Rin…” It mused. “Pleased to meet you. My name is Nanase Haruka.”

Hearing the name felt like an incredible experience for Rin. He didn’t even know that the dream spirits had their own names aside from what they were generally called.

“How much do you wish to know about me?” Haruka asked, breaking Rin from his thoughts.

“...How much can I know about you?”

Blinking, Haruka stood silent in thought. He then smiled softly. “As much as you want. But you do not have enough time now.”

Rin furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. Not enough time? “What do you mean?” He asked, taking a step closer.

Instead of answering him right away, Haruka came closer to him until he was in his personal space. He looked up at Rin before placing a hand on his cheek. “Wake up…”

“Wha--?”

He was cut off by feeling soft lips press against his own. His eyes widened but remained calm as the feeling of warmth traveled through his body. It felt… pure. Almost like raw bliss was being injected into his veins.

Haruka parted their lips after a few seconds and rubbed Rin’s cheek with its thumb. “Wake up.” It repeated.

Rin opened his eyes. The morning sun spilled through the sides of his curtain and shone in his face. Groaning, he turned his head away and blinked as though trying to clear his mind. ‘It was a dream...’ He thought, not surprised in the slightest. However, he still couldn’t help but smile.

Haruka Nanase...

A thief of nightmares and a deliverer of dreams.  
A thief of dreams and a deliverer of nightmares.

He tried getting the fact situated in his mind properly, but it seemed so impossible to be both at the same time. Deciding not to dwell on the dream any longer, Rin got out of the bed to begin preparing for the day. All the while, he couldn’t wait for night to come again so he could see the spirit he began to fall for.


End file.
